The Lakers sat in front of a chalkboard Tuesday morning at Loyola Marymount and, like serious students, watched intently as Coach Pat Riley wrote out the phrase playoff mentality and then underlined it. Experienced as they are, Laker players needed to be reminded only once about what it takes, attitude-wise, to be successful in the NBA playoffs.

It seemed it was only a matter of time before the Lakers' tendency to waste leads and Andrew Bynum's erratic behavior would leave them at a loss. That moment came Friday night at Staples Center, when the Lakers' heavy workload and the late-game absence of their starting center resulted in a 112-107 defeat by the Houston Rockets. The Lakers squandered an 11-point lead in the third quarter, looking heavy-legged through pockets of sluggish play and defensive indifference while playing for the fifth time in seven days.

The Lakers are no strangers to playoff uncertainties, and another has appeared in their domain. Reserve power forward Jordan Hill, accused of choking a girlfriend, was charged with a third-degree felony Monday and was expected to appear soon in a Houston court. It was unclear when he would have to answer in person to the charges. If convicted, he faces up to 10 years in prison. A spokeswoman for the Harris County district attorney said Hill needed to be present Tuesday in Houston for a hearing at 9:30 a.m. Central time, but Hill's agent said a court appearance wasn't mandated yet. "Jordan will spend [Monday]

Yawn. What? This column is starting? Oh, well, OK, whatever. In Game 4 of the Western Conference semifinals Sunday, the Lakers . . . sigh . . . shrug . . . hmmm. I'm sorry, I just don't feel like it today. I know you're expecting a full column effort, but the Lakers' opponent was only the devastated Houston Rockets, so why should I have to work hard to write about them? Why should I put passion into describing a game that the Lakers didn't show passion in playing?